Historic Beer Birthday: William O. Poth

Today is the birthday of William O. Poth (April 17, 1876-March 9, 1901). He was the son of Frederick J. Poth and the older brother of Harry A. Poth. In 1870, his grandfather founded the Fred A. Poth Brewery, which by 1875 was the largest brewery in the U.S. His brother Harry was the brewer, but it’s unclear what William’s role at the family brewery was. I could find very little about him, even his Find-a-Grave page doesn’t list the date of his death. But I did find it mentioned in the trade publication The Western Brewer from March 1906:

The Poth brewery, from an illustration done in the early 1890s.

I couldn’t find any photographs of him, which isn’t too surprising given I couldn’t find any of his father and only one of his brother, Frederick J. Poth. Sadly, I could find almost nothing else about him, either.